FRANKFURT, Nov 29 (Reuters) - German automotive supplier ZF Friedrichshafen said on Wednesday that its supervisory board chairman , Giorgio Behr, was stepping down.
A company spokesman said Behr was giving four weeks' notice, but declined to comment further.
Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper earlier reported Behr's departure, saying the move was due to a power struggle between Behr and the company's owners over strategy after they blocked a takeover of U.S. commercial vehicle parts supplier Wabco Holdings.
The unlisted supplier based in Friedrichshafen, a town on the shores of Lake Constance, wants to cut its dependence on combustion-engine cars, and has sought to build up its expertise in components for autonomous and electric vehicles.
Earlier this year, ZF took a 40 percent stake in German lidar maker Ibeo Automotive and made an unsuccessful $515 million bid for Swedish brake systems group Haldex. (Reporting by Ralf Banser, writing by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Susan Fenton)